The Girl Behind the Looking Glass: Why Alice Liddell Still Matters

We’ve all seen the cartoons—the blonde hair, the blue dress, the nonsensical tea party. But history has a habit of flattening real women into two-dimensional characters. At Powerstories Theatre this May, the whimsy of Wonderland is being peeled back to reveal the human heartbeat of the girl who started it all.

Dream Child: The Trial of Alice in Wonderland isn't just a trip down memory lane; it’s a reckoning.

The Mystery of the Missing Pages

In June 1863, a friendship that defined a literary era came to an abrupt, unexplained end. Charles Dodgson—the quiet Oxford mathematics tutor we know as Lewis Carroll—tore pages out of his diary. Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for his stories, maintained a lifelong silence about what happened.

This play, written by and starring Roxanne Fay, steps into that silence. Set in an intimate "Boutique Micro Theatre" with only twenty-five seats, the performance places the audience within arm’s reach of the real Alice. As guests, you aren't just watching a play; you are tucked into a world of "Eat Me" treats and hidden origami bunnies, acting as witnesses to a story told close enough to feel like a whispered memory.

Why This Story Matters Today

Why do we keep returning to Alice? It’s because her story is the ultimate study in the loss of innocence and the struggle for agency. For over a century, the world has claimed Alice Liddell’s image, her name, and her childhood, turning her into a symbol of curiosity. But the actual woman lived in the shadow of a fictional legacy she didn't write. Dream Child asks a question that resonates in our own era of curated identities and public narratives: Who gets to tell your story? By exploring the interplay between the "Dream Child" of fiction and the woman of history, the play touches on the universal experience of growing up and the often-painful process of reclaiming one's truth from the myths others create about us.

A Community-Powered Performance

Powerstories is presenting this as a FundraiseHER, utilizing a tiered ticketing model to keep local theater sustainable during a year where the cost of "doing the work" has risen for everyone. This isn't just about a single performance; it’s about ensuring the creative pulse of Tampa remains strong.

Your ticket choice directly impacts the local cultural ecosystem:

• The $45 - $75 Tiers: Support the production and the development of new works by women playwrights.
• The $100 Tier: Provides scholarships for Girlstories Leadership Theatre, empowering the next generation of young women to find their voices.
• The $150 Tier: Covers your seat and provides two free tickets for veterans and crisis survivors through the STAGE Initiative, offering a moment of "Wonder" to those who need it most.

Joining the Investigation

If you want to step out of the daily rush and into a story that challenges the way you see a literary icon, this is the room you want to be in.

• When: May 15 – 17
• Where: Powerstories Studio
• The Passport Hook: Use code PASSPORT for $10 off your ticket.